The Day Hell Froze Over

Sophia allowed her senses to be overrun by the beauty of the land that stood before her. It wasn't the garden of Eden that most humans imagined, but it wasn't far off. She loved the colours the most, as there existed a different light spectrum in this dimension. She found herself momentarily lost in memories that no longer felt like her own. In spite of having her soul restored, she felt different to the Divine creation she had started out as. She had imbued lifetimes of experience with the human condition, and as such, no longer knew where she belonged. Her body was of one place, her consciousness came from the other. It felt strange, actively trying to reconcile the two.

“Are you having second thoughts?” Lucan's voice penetrated Sophia's wandering mind, bringing her back to the present.

Sophia gave him a sad smile, “No” she denied, “I'm just...preparing myself mentally for what we need to do”.

Lucan nodded silently, the prospect wasn't exactly thrilling to him either, but he had always known this day would be waiting for him.

“It's still our choice, you know? We could roam the Earth as Gods and just...be happy? Nowhere in the rule book does it say we have to abide to a fate decided by others than ourselves” he stated, despite knowing Sophia's sense of duty would always win out.

“This is bigger than us Lucan, it always has been. I've lived as a mortal, and I can tell you Hell has found its way to the surface and into the heart of humanity. You and I both know that it was never meant to be that way” she counter-stated before adding, “your father was supposed to be a bringer of light but his greed for power disfigured him into the Devil we know today. He turned his realm into a burning prison, it's up to us to change it back to a place of transformation. Men cannot be good, if good isn't allowed to exist”.

“It's not going to be an easy task” Lucan replied.

“Nothing right ever is” she shrugged resolute.

Lucan took her by the hand, “come on then. Let's find that damned tree”, he said as he led her into the most hidden parts of this surreal land.

They tread ground for what seemed like hours before either of them felt the ancient pull of the Tree of Knowledge. It was like a beacon had lit up their spirits and was now safely guiding them home.

“We're close, I can feel it” Sophia confirmed. She moved ahead of Lucan and followed her instincts until the was standing at the base of a mature pear tree. Contrary to popular belief, apples had never been a part of the true story.

“Hello my old friend” she whispered, as she caressed its gnarly bark, the width of which measured a precise six hundred and sixty-six metres. Its branches swooped down to the floor, weighed heavy by tempting bunches of honey-dripped pears. The nectar of the Gods.

Lucan raised his arm, gently plucked one and passed it to Sophia, “ready?”.

As soon as the golden nectar coated their throats, before it had time to hit their stomachs, the events of creation exploded through their minds. The energy of which propelled them back to the lowest realm faster than the speed of light.

“Home sweet home” Lucan muttered wryly. He looked across the outstretched fiery landscape, and struggled to imagine it any other way.

“Are we sure we can do this?” he asked as a wave of doubt overtook him.

“We have to try, or else...”

“Well, well, well. Back so soon?” The Devil's voice cut into Sophia's sentence and they both turned to face him.

“Honestly, I don't know how you expect this time to be any different than the last” the Devil continued, “you don't even have the sword” he shrugged and then bellowed, “you have no power!”.

Sophia smirked her response, “that's where you're wrong. The sword is nothing but a representation at this point, so we don't need it”. She took Lucan's hand and stood firm, “the true weapon is Lucan and I standing together, against you, as one”.

“Not without a boost of power from above, you're not” the Devil argued with arrogance.

“You mean something like this?” Sophia slowly removed the crystallised marigold flower from her pocket, the one given to her by Lady Fate. She watched as fear distorted the devil's scarred features and he took an involuntary step backwards.

Sophia had learned her lesson the last time around, and left no room for hesitation. She slammed the crystal into the ground and watched as it exploded into a million pieces of ice. Each shard took root where it landed, and spread across the ground the way a drop of ink moves through water. The temperature dropped, and suddenly Hell started to freeze over, the whole landscape changing from red to a translucent blue. The Devil howled, unprepared in his defeat, as the cold spread towards him. The veins in his body turned to ice, stopping his blood flow, as well as his power. His enraged features became those of a frozen sculpture, the flame in his pupils being the last thing extinguished.

Sophia and Lucan both marvelled at the transformation around them and tilted their heads to the sky as snow drops started to fall. It was a picture-perfect, winter-wonderland. Sophia's smile turned into a joyful laugh as she wrapped herself into Lucan's arms.

“Well, at least it looks prettier than before” she commented.

Lucan agreed, “maybe it's not going to be so bad after-all” he ventured as they both started to walk to his father's former fortress.

“I never thought I'd feel this happy to be the Queen of Hell” she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Nor me the King” Lucan reflected as he planted a tender kiss on top of her head, “so, now what?” he asked with an air of excitement.

“Now, we re-decorate” she joked before correcting herself.

“Now, we restore balance to the Universe”.